Through the first week and change of the 2025-26 NBA season, one of the biggest surprises has been the play of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Taking the court down Paul George and Jared McCain, with Joel Embiid still working back to full strength, the 76ers ripped off five wins over their first seven games, sitting at 5-3 after losing a close one to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a game with Adem Bona starting at center.
Has it always been perfect? Nope, the 76ers have looked incredible at times, but at others, their old ISO heavy offense has butted heads with the faster, pass-happy style Nick Nurse has been looking to run with the three-headed monster of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Quentin Grimes running the show. Embiid, to his credit, has been attempting to work through his knee recovery on NBA League Pass, hobbling at times but still playing solid defense while the team's power forwards do the dirty work rebounding the ball in the painted area, but his slow, methodical style of basketball has been more like throwing on the emergency brake on the highway then a methodical tempo change.
Is Embiid simply unable to fit within this new offensive identity? No, that's putting the cart before the horse, as he isn't fully healthy and remains an effective three-level scorer on a team that has multiple quality drivers who need outside spacing, but he will have to adjust to that mentality, especially at the end of games, when he's often been on the bench due to a minutes restriction.
No, if the 76ers want to really make a big swing next spring and prove that they can be the kind of team that breaks through their glass ceiling and makes it to the Eastern Conference Finals, or even the NBA Finals, the position they need to upgrade is next to Embiid, where they've been exclusively relying on minimum contract players and two-way guys to do some dirty work from the power forward position. Even with PG returning, the 76ers would be willing to invest in a long-term answer at the four spot who can play with or without Embiid and produce full-court magic alongside the team's three flamethrower guards.
Tari Eason could be a long-term answer in Philadelphia
To say it feels like the 76ers have been looking for a player like Tari Eason since they drafted Joel Embiid would be an understatement.
A long-wiry forward out of LSU who can play up or down lineups, shoot 3s at a slightly above average NBA clip, and, most importantly, pick up rebounds and stocks around the basket, Eason once looked like an ideal fit in the Houston Rockets' future, but unfortunately, 2025 hasn't shaken out how he's hoped so far.
After really coming on down the stretch at the end of the 2024-25 season, including a reserve role for the Rockets in the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors, Houston made a little trade for Kevin Durant to be their long-term third frontcourt player alongside Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Şengün, leaving a smaller role for Eason in the future. While he's still played fairly often for Houston as of late, averaging 24.7 minutes per game, it's largely been as a sixth man, with Josh Okogie starting alongside his ex-Phoenix Suns teammate more often than not.
Could Eason still coexist with KD and company into the future? Sure, but clearly, Houston doesn't believe that such a fate is written in stone; otherwise, they would have at least locked him up on a rookie contract extension before the start of the regular season.
Now, Eason will become a restricted free agent next summer, allowed to negotiate with other squads as he sees fit in the hopes of getting a long-term deal either with Houston or another club. In the old NBA of yesteryear, retaining Eason would be as simple as agreeing to a number. But now, with aprons in place, every dollar that goes his way could impact future money to a player like Amen Thompson, who has a much brighter future with the team.
The Rockets, like the Thunder, could soon fall victim to the numbers game and, as a result, may be willing to move on from Eason for a future asset and some immediate help in the short term, both of which Philadelphia can offer.
The 76ers should cash in on a strong start to 2025
For all of his trade-happy pedigree in Houston, Daryl Morey has been surprisingly reserved in Philadelphia, only making four trades where first-round picks left the City of Brotherly Love, first for Danny Green, then for DeAnthony Melton, and finally for James Harden, plus a first-round pick to the Washington Wizards to go with Reggie Jackson for Jared Butler and four second round picks.
Could Eason mark the fifth? In a one-for-one trade, that's hard to see, as both teams are dealing with cap ramifications, but according to Spotrac, there is a path where the 76ers could take Eason into their NTMLE and the Rockets could take in a minimum contract like that of Justin Edwards via a traded player exception to go with whatever draft capital they demand, likely headlined by the Clippers' 2028 first round pick, should the deal happen after December 15th.
Would the Rockets make that trade? In a vacuum, no, as a team with title aspirations isn't going to say goodbye to their sixth man and would likely demand Philadelphia expand things out, even attempting to convince Quentin Grimes to waive his trade veto power to address a position of need in Houston. But if another trade opportunity comes up and the Rockets want to make a deal, they could look to Philadelphia for additional draft capital, exchanging a player at a position overloaded with talent to pursue backcourt help, with the 76ers landing a player that fits perfectly with Maxey and Edgecombe long-term as part of the deal.
